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"Can't Let Go" is a song by American singer Mariah Carey from her second studio album, Emotions (1991). It was released as the album's second single in the fourth quarter of 1991 in the United States and the first quarter of 1992 elsewhere. The protagonist of this synthesizer-heavy ballad laments an ex-lover who has moved on, and though she tries she "can't let go."

"Can't Let Go"
US retail cassette variant of the standard worldwide artwork
Single by Mariah Carey
from the album Emotions
B-side	"To Be Around You" "So Blessed"
Released	October 23, 1991 (1991-10-23)
Recorded	August 1991
Studio	The Plant Recording Studios (Sausalito, California)
Genre	R&B soul
Length	4:27
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Mariah Carey Walter Afanasieff
Producer(s)	Mariah Carey Walter Afanasieff
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Emotions" (1991) "Can't Let Go" (1991) "Make It Happen" (1992)
Music video
"Can't Let Go" on YouTube

Carey had fallen out with her songwriting partner Ben Margulies following a financial dispute, and her record label suggested that she work with the other producers of her debut album such as Rhett Lawrence, Ric Wake and Narada Michael Walden. She chose Walter Afanasieff, who had produced her second single "Love Takes Time" (1990), and "Can't Let Go" was one of the songs they created. After the release of the single "Emotions," "Can't Let Go" was promoted on both The Arsenio Hall Show in September 1991 and Saturday Night Live in November 1991 when she was the musical guest in the episode which featured Linda Hamilton as the host. "Can't Let Go" was later included on Carey's compilation album The Ballads (2008).

Music and lyrics

"Can't Let Go" is written in the key of F major (with minor interminglings), ascending up to F♯ major (with similar qualities) to close the song out — a common pop tonal effect. Mariah's vocals range from the low note of F₃ to the high note of B₆, at a moderately slow tempo of 81 beats per minute, according to Musicnotes.com.[1]

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Ashley S. Battel wrote that "yearning cries for a lost love in "Can't Let Go" serves to send the listener on a musical journey through time filled with varying emotions.[2] Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "rhythmic R&B/pop ballad", adding, "Her now-trademark vocal acrobatics are showcased amid gospel-spiced harmonizing and dramatically executed instrumentation."[3] Randy Clark and Bryan DeVaney from Cashbox commented, "This time Carey is slowing down the pace from the first single "Emotions". In our opinion, this should have been the first single taken off the album. Her voice still has that crystal-clear sound that has hypnotized listeners of all sorts."[4] Los Angeles Times editor Dennis Hunt said that in this song Mariah is playing a wounded lover.[5] Rob Tannenbaum of Rolling Stone wrote that "moody grandeur" of this song will sound great on radio.[6] On the song, Sian Pattenden from Smash Hits described Carey as "the Nanette Newman of pop".[7]

Chart performance

Carey's first five American singles had reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Can't Let Go" ended the streak when it reached number two, and spent 17 weeks in the top 40.[8] The record company had taken the single off from sales before it could reach number 1, in an attempt to boost sales of Emotions. The song topped the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks, where it became Carey's fourth number one single; the next single "Make It Happen" would break that streak. "Can't Let Go" ranked 23rd on the 1992 Hot 100 year-end charts.^{[citation needed]}

"Can't Let Go" reached number three in Canada and the top 20 in the UK. It became her lowest peaking single at the time in all of the major Anglophone singles markets (with the exception of the UK), and failed to make the Australian top 50.^{[citation needed]}

Music video

The single's accompanying music video, directed by Jim Sonzero, features Carey wearing an evening gown and her hair in a bun. Filmed in black and white, the video starts and closes with shots of a rose open and closed respectively.[9]

Usage in other media

A radio edit of the song was promoted to radio and used for the video instead of the original song, and the edit eliminates the seraphic pre-intro and removes all of Carey's high notes at the song's beginning and end. Like Carey's previous U.S. singles, "Can't Let Go" won a BMI Pop Award in 1993. In 2015, rapper Rick Ross released a remix version of the song on his eighth studio album Black Market, titled "Can't Say No", in which Carey re-recorded her part with various new lyrics.[10][11]

Copyright issues

In 1992, writers Sharon Taber and Ron Gonzalez filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Carey and Afanasieff citing that "Can't Let Go" was taken from their unknown song, "Right Before My Eyes." The plaintiffs demanded to obtain copies of the studio recording tapes to see if conversation between Carey and Afanasieff would prove them guilty. However, after being reviewed, the only guilty fear apparent was Mariah Carey quoted as saying "Can't Let Go" was sounding "too much like our other song." The lawsuit was later dropped or settled out of court.[12]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Recording

• Recorded at Skywalker Sound, Marin Country; The Plant Recording Studios, Sausalito; Right Track Recording, NYC.
• Mixed at Right Track Recording, NYC.

Personnel

• Lyrics – Mariah Carey
• Music – Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
• Production – Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
• Keyboards, Synthesizers, Synthesizer Bass, Synclavier Acoustic Guitar, Drums and Percussion Arrangement and Programming – Walter Afanasieff
• Guitars – Michael Landau
• Synclavier/Akai Programming – Ren Klyce
• Synclavier/Macintosh Programming – Gary Cirmelli
• Arrangement – Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
• Recording Engineer – Dana Jon Chappelle
• Assistant engineers; Bruce Calder, Craig Silvey
• Mixing – Dana Jon Chappelle
• Vocal arrangement – Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
• Background vocals – Mariah Carey

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Emotions.[13]

Charts

See also

• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1992 (U.S.)

References

На других языках

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[de] Can’t Let Go

Can't Let Go ist ein Lied der US-amerikanischen Sängerin Mariah Carey. Sie schrieb und produzierte es gemeinsam mit Walter Afanasieff. Das Stück wurde am 23. Oktober 1991 als zweite Single aus ihrem Album Emotions veröffentlicht. Die Single erreichte nach einiger Zeit Platz 2 der Billboard Hot 100.

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- [en] Can't Let Go (Mariah Carey song)

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[es] Can't Let Go

«Can't Let Go» (en español: «No puedo dejarte ir») es una canción escrita y producida por la cantautora estadounidense Mariah Carey y Walter Afanasieff, grabada para su segundo álbum de estudio Emotions (1991). Se lanzó como segundo sencillo en el cuarto trimestre de 1991 en Estados Unidos y en el primer trimestre de 1992 en otros países. La protagonista de esta balada se lamenta porque su examante se ha ido y aunque ella trata, "No puede dejarlo ir".

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